Environmentalists explained why fish are dying in the Khadzhibey Estuary

A massive fish kill was recorded in the Khadzhibey Estuary. Environmental inspectors visited the site three times, collected water samples, and identified the possible causes of the fish deaths.

This was reported bythe press service of the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Southwestern District.  

Surveys of the estuary were conducted on July 22, August 13, and August 18, 2026. During these visits, specialists collected surface water samples from various sections of the body of water.

Laboratory tests revealed that certain regulatory limits had been exceeded, as well as the presence of hydrogen sulfide in all samples tested.

For example, on July 22, near the village of Naberezhne, hydrogen sulfide was detected in the water at a concentration of 0.037 mg/dm³.

On August 13, near the village of Kholodna Balka, the maximum permissible concentration of ammonium nitrogen was exceeded by a factor of 2.5. The concentration of hydrogen sulfide was 0.038 mg/dm³. In the Nerubayske area, ammonium nitrogen exceeded the MPC by 1.9 times, and the hydrogen sulfide concentration was 0.042 mg/dm³.

On August 18, in the area of the village of Bolgarka, ammonium nitrogen levels were found to exceed the MPC by 1.5 times, and BOD₅ levels by 2.4 times. The hydrogen sulfide concentration was 0.068 mg/dm³. Near the village of Paliivka, the ammonium nitrogen level exceeded the MPC by 1.3 times, and the hydrogen sulfide concentration was 0.053 mg/dm³.

The environmental inspection agency explained that the appearance and increase in hydrogen sulfide concentrations in water bodies during the summer may be linked to natural processes—bacterial activity and the decomposition of organic matter.

Such processes are accompanied by a decrease in the oxygen content of the water. It is precisely this oxygen deficiency that can lead to the mass die-off of aquatic life.

Meanwhile, the latest episode of “Accents” discussed the causes of the mass deaths of dolphins and other cetaceans in the Black Sea. Ecologist and zoologist Pavlo Goldin and biologist Vladislav Balinsky, head of the nonprofit organization “Green Leaf,” shared their assessments.

Ірина Глухова